Do you know anyone with chickens? The chucks won't mind if there are still caterpillars on either. My chickens are actually getting sick of my neighbours cabbages so I'm letting the 'pillars eat the ones I grew for them.
If your cabbages (only done this with cabbages so far) are reasonably well grown when they get attacked, just leve them, yes they will look really awful, but they do recover and you will still get a successful harvest, you just have to take a few more leaves off. The hardest thing is leaving cabbages in the ground that look like they will never be any good, persevere, its worth it, save your energy for another battle
Am trying this on purple sprouting and kale this year
I pick the brassica leaves once a week. I throw the Caterpillars in the pond, but it troubles me seeing them slowly drown. If I throw them 10 feet into a neighbouring field will they take to eating grass or will they work their way back to the brassica?
I doubt they would make their way back Chris, but im not sure they would switch to eating grass, so would starve.
Have you got a compost heap? Try picking 1 leaf and collecting the catterpillers in that then just lie it on the heap, or take it somewhere else, there are lots of creatures who eat catterpillers so they probably wont last long any how, but will at least be doing something some good
My cabbages look like lace at the mo, but im persevering, they still havent touched the other brassicas which are next to the cabbages, no idea why!
I originally planted my cabbages and cauliflowers under the black tunnel nets. Nothing, and I mean nothing was getting through them!
When end they were big enough, I put up a gazebo frame at one third height and covered it with green netting. Nothing has got to them through that either. I get lots of comments from other allotmenters at how well my brassicas are doing and what a good idea the frame set up is
shame I can't say the same for my sprouts my own fault, I never netted them at home and they got got at by the little buggers *mad face*
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Do you know anyone with chickens? The chucks won't mind if there are still caterpillars on either. My chickens are actually getting sick of my neighbours cabbages so I'm letting the 'pillars eat the ones I grew for them.
If your cabbages (only done this with cabbages so far) are reasonably well grown when they get attacked, just leve them, yes they will look really awful, but they do recover and you will still get a successful harvest, you just have to take a few more leaves off. The hardest thing is leaving cabbages in the ground that look like they will never be any good, persevere, its worth it, save your energy for another battle
Am trying this on purple sprouting and kale this year
I pick the brassica leaves once a week. I throw the Caterpillars in the pond, but it troubles me seeing them slowly drown. If I throw them 10 feet into a neighbouring field will they take to eating grass or will they work their way back to the brassica?
Chris
Have you got a compost heap? Try picking 1 leaf and collecting the catterpillers in that then just lie it on the heap, or take it somewhere else, there are lots of creatures who eat catterpillers so they probably wont last long any how, but will at least be doing something some good
My cabbages look like lace at the mo, but im persevering, they still havent touched the other brassicas which are next to the cabbages, no idea why!
I originally planted my cabbages and cauliflowers under the black tunnel nets. Nothing, and I mean nothing was getting through them!
When end they were big enough, I put up a gazebo frame at one third height and covered it with green netting. Nothing has got to them through that either. I get lots of comments from other allotmenters at how well my brassicas are doing and what a good idea the frame set up is
shame I can't say the same for my sprouts
my own fault, I never netted them at home and they got got at by the little buggers *mad face*
10 out of 10 for your netting and frame!
This is after they'd grow out of the black tunnel net.
I had another one over my sweetcorn, beets, lettuces and beans until they were bird proof. They're tailor made for my beds so they're interchangeable